ZEEUS

Environmental poly-crises, rapid change in sources of energy demand and supply and transformative digital innovation increasingly require Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) not only to be at the forefront of research and teaching, but also to train a new generation of innovators capable of transforming ideas and visions into ventures that benefit society at large. The ZEEUS proposal is foundational to a multidisciplinary growth and innovation engine. It will promote research, foster knowledge transfer and training, and support the next generation of graduates, young researchers, and professionals. ZEEUS will provide young entrepreneurial minds with the tools to face the challenges of a changing society and, more particularly, to design and deploy a novel climate impact framework to more accurately assess climate-related impacts in the ‘Global Gateway’ of engagement between Europe and Africa.

The project will promote innovation, knowledge transfer, and entrepreneurial education fostering transnational cooperation and regional innovation. The consortium partners will create a network of training activities (what we refer to as Seed Factories ‘SF’) with a strong ‘Global North-Global South’ dimension, federated across our partnership. The SFs will be developed as a set of initiatives, methods and programs aimed at increasing the entrepreneurial intensity of HEIs and their constituencies in a format that channels the efforts of students, researchers and staff towards the creation of novel ventures. They will operate as one-stop-shops to help national and international founders better understand and navigate the startup ecosystem in each of the seed factories’ regions, as well as access mentorship expertise and opportunities to access funding. They will also charter a path to impact and develop tools to enable entrepreneurs and HEIs to understand and measure the climate impact of their applied innovations.

Aims and Objectives
1. Create robust ecosystems that support idea generation, entrepreneurial education, and venture creation.
2. Foster Institutional Change: Re-structured HEIs to enhance their capacity to address societal challenges.
3. Strengthen Partnerships: Strengthen collaborations between HEIs, businesses, government bodies and agencies, leveraging the knowledge triangle.
4. Advance Regional and Global Impact: In creating an innovation spine from Northern Europe to South Africa, ZEEUS will develop flexible and scalable structures that adapt to regional and international needs, enabling impactful contributions to the twin Green and Digital transitions and help address investment gaps targeted by Team Europe’s ‘Global Gateway’ strategy.

Our comprehensive list of Associate Partners have a genuine interest in collaboration, in diversifying their innovation activities and in understanding how to make their businesses more resourceful and sustainable.